Bettman Trumpets Columbus, Jackets

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman arrived in Columbus late Wednesday, attended the Greater Columbus Sports Commission's annual breakfast this morning, and was expected to spend the afternoon with local big-wigs at Double-Eagle Golf Club, owned by Blue Jackets' majority owner John P. McConnell.

The purpose of this trip was to trumpet the NHL All-Star Game, which will be held in our fair city and Nationwide Arena on Jan. 25. That entire weekend will be consumed by the league's annual celebration, pumping some $12 million into the local economy.

Bettman took the dais with Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson. Before them, Blue Jackets players Brandon Dubinsky, Jack Johnson and Boone Jenner sat and answered questions from former Jacket Jody Shelley, now a Fox Sports Ohio TV analyst.

Not one shred of news was revealed. No details were unveiled as to what type of special touch Columbus plans for this event. But then this wasn't a news event.

No, this was a Blue Jackets/NHL/All-Star Game love-in, a little sugar for your early-morning coffee.

"I've been a huge proponent of Columbus as an NHL city from the expansion process on," Bettman said. "When you come to an event like this (banquet) as a guest of the city, and you see such a huge turnout, and you see the commitment of this city to sports … it’s not just words when everybody says that Columbus is a great sports city.

"We’re proud, as the NHL, to not only have a team here, but to bring a celebration and the NHL family to the great sports fans of columbus."

Columbus was supposed to have this game in 2013. But the owner's lockout dragged into January, and the league was lucky to cram a 48-game schedule into the calendar. There was no time for an All-Star Game, and frankly, the players -- full of resentment after a second lockout in eight years -- were in no mood to party with the owners and the league.

Think back to when the Blue Jackets were awarded the All-Star Game initially. It was Jan. 28, 2012, and a crowd of angry fans gathered on a cold, gray, miserable day outside Nationwide Arena to demand the ouster of president Mike Priest, GM Scott Howson, Stinger and anybody with an affiliation to the club.

Burning question that day: Would the Blue Jackets have a player in the All-Star Game they're hosting?

Maybe it was a blessing the initial game was canceled.

The Blue Jackets made the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring. They won two games and gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a bit of a scare in the first round.

Yes, the Jackets have All-Star caliber players: Sergei Bobrovsky, Ryan Johansen, Scott Hartnell, Nathan Horton, Brandon Dubinsky, James Wisniewski and others could be candidates for such an honor.

Clearly, the franchise is in a much different state now. The fan base is, too. It was beaten down by hockey for so long. Now it is lifted up by the promise of the Blue Jackets' future.

"Perhaps the All-Star Game was motivation," Bettman joked.

"The serious answer is, we’ve always believed in this market. We always believed Columbus would host the NHL family in spectacular fashion. There’s no question, when you're at an event like this and you see the prominence of sports and big events in Columbus, we knew it would be great here. The fact that the team’s fortunes are improving is a happy coincidence."

More from Bettman:

On the possibility of an outdoor game in Columbus:

"There’s a long line of teams requesting All-Star games and drafts, and we’ve moved Columbus up (on those lists) appropriately. There’s a long line of teams wanting to participate in outdoor games. Let’s take it one step at a time. Although, knowing the great stadium at Ohio State … at some point in time, we could have a lot of fun here with an outdoor game."

On recent reports of a push to get a franchise in Seattle:

"We’ve had a number of expressions of interest in a variety of cities. The biggest issue in Seattle right now is whether or not there’s a prospect for a new arena. In the absence of a new arena, there isn’t much for us to be focused on."

"(But if an arena is built) ... and there’s interest by ownership groups that we think makes sense, then we’ll, at that point, have to take a look at it. But we’re not involved right now in a formal expansion process. We’re listening to expressions of interest, but nothing yet has catalyzed to the point where we’re ready to move forward."

On what the most-recent labor strife meant to the current NHL product:

"Despite commentary from a variety of sources to the contrary, we find work stoppages very unpleasant and you don’t like to do them. If you have to go through one to get to the right place to get your league and your teams healthy, to get the game competitve on the ice, you have to take a long-term view. What we do is for the game and the fans. I think everybody would agree that the game has never been healthier.

"If you do go through something like that, you have to come out the other side having a vision, an understanding of what your game needs to be healthy. We’ve always believed that we needed a system in which all teams – no matter what market you’re in – can be competitive. We saw that last year in the playoffs here in Columbus. Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that the best year that the Blue Jackets have ever had is the best year the NHL has ever had. We’re happy to be coming (for the All-Star Game). We’re sorry we couldn’t come in 2013. But as they say, better late than ever."

On his faith in Columbus as a viable market, and did it ever waiver:

"At the time (of expansion), Columbus was the largest city that didn’t have a major league sports team. Knowing the great tradition and history of sports in Columbus, we thought it would be great to come here. It starts with the vision of John H. McConnell. This franchise, the Arena District, wouldn'y be there without him and without Nationwide’s support. The franchise is in great hands with J.P. (McConnell) and they had the foresight to bring in J.D. (John Davidson) – initials seem to be working here – and in the final analysis we believed it would work here, that the community would rally behind the franchise.

"To me, what was special particularly about last year’s playoffs, is while the team was here and had support, I think something clicked last year because people finally got a taste of how great NHL playoff hockey is. Look at Game 4 vs. Pittsburgh. That’s as good as it gets in any sporting event. The reaction here in the building was as loud as any arena in the world. The excitement, the enthusiasm was palpable, and that’s something we always believed in when we thought about Columbus."

On the overall health of the NHL:

"We’ve never been stronger. We’ve never been bigger. We’ve never been better. The game on the ice … is exciting, entertaining and competitive. When this season starts, any team can make it to the playoffs and once you make it to the playoffs, anything can happen. When you have a team as well-run as the Blue Jackets, and a good young core base of players, the future is extremely bright, and I think the best is yet to come for us, as a game and a league."

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